Episode 1516 (13 October 1997)
Synopsis Jessie refuses to let Mark and Ruth watch TV while she's watching a video, flicking the channel back to what she wants to watch. Ruth seems incapable of talking to her, or making any rules about what she may do. The real mother writes a letter after being sentenced to 12 months in prison, telling the kid she's not allowed to visit her. Mark and Ruth are aware that this is a lie, and comment that the mother obviously doesn't want to see the child, and they are stuck with her for a year now. Ruth has doubts that the child can even read the letter. She also wets the bed every night, and Mark goes to the launderette to give the bed linen to Pauline and tells her how the kid won't talk to them. Carol is waiting for a phone call and has taken up chain smoking. Bianca is moping around her house putting everyone off their dinner with her ugly face. Diane is bright and breezy, ignoring Bianca's sulks and she cheerfully tells Bianca that the housing department have told her she's not entitled to a house, since she made herself homeless intentionally, so she's going to be staying with them. Lorraine hears that she's got the job in Bolton, and she tells Joe. He says he doesn't want to go with her, and she makes a deal that if the psychiatrist reports say he is capable of staying alone, he may do so. He tells Sarah that his mother may be leaving, and she seems to be trying to split them up, but it'll be OK if he stays with her won't it? Sarah looks reluctant and says that there are other people in her house and she doesn't know, and she runs off to school. Mary is still desperately chasing Joe, and she sees Sarah run off in the square and goes to chat him up. She tells him she had a dream that he was dying of thirst in the desert and Sarah had a bottle of water but she wouldn't give him any and ran off, just like that, and then she gave him her water. Carol gets bored and decides to make Billy's birthday cake even though he isn't likely to be there. She goes out to buy some ingredients and while she's out, the kidnapper phones and Alan answers. They allow Alan to speak to Billy, and the police phone tracing is useless as they're using a mobile. Barry is calling round his contacts begging for cash, and no-one is prepared to lend him any. Sarah goes to see Joe to explain about seeming offhand this morning. She says she was a bit worried about him staying with her as she only has one room and they'd have to take turns on the sofa, because she wants to stick to her "principles" and not have sex before they're married. The Jacksons get another phone call - this time from the woman who masqueraded as the teacher during the kidnap. She says she wants to do a deal because she never wanted to kidnap Billy and she was forced into it, so if the police will promise that she is not going to be caught for it she will tell them everything she knows. Carol agrees to everything immediately, and the caller says she's not stupid and is it a deal? They trace her call to opposite the house, and she comes quietly with the police, although Carol tries to attack her as the police lead her away. Alan restrains Carol who screeches threats after the car. Credits Main cast *Mark Fowler - Todd Carty *Ruth Fowler - Caroline Paterson *Pauline Fowler - Wendy Richard *Carol Jackson - Lindsey Coulson *Bianca Butcher - Patsy Palmer *Diane Butcher - Sophie Lawrence *Lorraine Wicks - Jacqueline Leonard *Joe Wicks - Paul Nicholls *Sarah Hills - Daniela Denby-Ashe *Mary Flaherty - Melanie Clark Pullen *Alan Jackson - Howard Antony *Barry Evans - Shaun Williamson Guest cast * Jessie Moore - Chelsey Paden * Category:Episode Category:1997 Episodes